The Great Druze Revolt of 1925 and the Syrian Diaspora

You are cordially invited to a talk presented by Professor Reem Bailony, 2016-2017 American Druze Foundation (ADF) Postdoctoral Fellow.

Abstract:

In July 1925, Druze forces under the command of Sultan Pasha al-Atrash rebelled against the local mandatory authorities in the Hawran region of Syria. Their rebellion soon broadened into a nationwide revolt against French rule. Although typically studied within the boundaries of the Syrian mandate, the repercussions of the Great Syrian Revolt of 1925 were felt worldwide, especially within the Syrian and Lebanese diaspora. While the French authorities portrayed the Revolt as a sectarian movement, Syrian and Lebanese émigrés in Egypt, Europe, and the Americas displayed international political know-how and local civic engagement. They propagandized the rebellion in the press, ceaselessly petitioned the League of Nations to intervene, fund-raised for the rebels and their families, and held important conferences and meetings surrounding the Revolt. “The Great Druze Revolt of 1925 and the Syrian Diaspora” re-examines this watershed moment in Druze history by highlighting the importance of diasporic activism and demonstrating that far from behaving as isolated minorities, the communities of the Syrian and Lebanese diaspora were firmly rooted in the internationalism of the 1920s.